(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to knitted garment construction and, more particularly, to a collarette construction for the neck opening of knitted garments of the slip-over type commonly referred to as T-shirts.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
In the manufacture of T-shirts and related slip-over garments, it is common practice to form the body of the garment from a section of knitted tubular material. A neck opening is cut in the material and this opening is finished by applying to the body of the garment what is normally referred to as a "collarette." The collarette is ordinarily made of a 1.times.1 rib knit material, the material being passed through a folding machine and doubled back upon itself to provide two layers before being applied to the garment.
As applied to the garment the two layers are disposed on opposite sides of the garment body material, and the free edge of the outer layer is turned under and stitched to the garment so as not to leave a raw edge outwardly of the garment. The lower edge of the inner layer is commonly left with a raw edge. In the past, this inner raw edge is substantially covered by a coverseaming stitch, such as a 406 coverseaming stitch, which attaches the collarette to the garment body.
Such constructions lack a highly desirable finished tailored look. Specifically, the neck line of the garment, when viewed from the outside thereof, does not provide an attractive finish. In addition, such constructions either do not have a natural tenency to lay flat or require additional steps in the manufacturing process in order to cause the collarette to lay flat. Accordingly, current practice is to cover the raw edge by sewing a tape stripe over the seam. However, this technique requires a separate sewing operation be performed which adds cost and increases the opportunity for producing "seconds".
Thus, there remains a need for a new and improved collar construction which is durable, has a natural tendency to lay flat, and provides an attractive finish in the neck of the garment while, at the same time, does not require additional steps in the manufacturing process.